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St. Olaf to initiate Multicultural Alumni Network

By Tom Vogel
April 27, 2007

With the combined efforts of several departments and the support of a number of alumni, St. Olaf College soon will be launching its Multicultural Alumni Network (MCAN). The network's purpose is to broaden and support the college's overall educational, admissions, careers and fundraising programs, particularly as these programs relate to the enrichment of its students and alumni of color.

Eida Berrio
Berrio


Eida Berrio, dean of the Office of Community Life and Diversity, has been working with alumni and several St. Olaf departments to facilitate MCAN. She describes MCAN as a more intentional effort to become a welcoming and inclusive community.

"It's about engaging alumni of color so they can learn about what the college has been doing since they left campus," Berrio says. "MCAN is a vehicle that reaffirms alumni of color so they can contribute to different offices, such as Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach (MACO), and have a voice and sense of belonging. It's a validation of those who are here and those who were here."

MCAN's goals include aiding in the recruitment of students of color and in the retention of students of color; addressing the non-academic needs of students of color and creating a more nurturing environment on campus; increasing staff and faculty diversity; and facilitating an active relationship between St. Olaf and alumni of color.

BUILDING A NETWORK
Director of MACO and Assistant Dean for Community Life and Diversity Bill Green '77 says that MCAN began to take shape about two years ago, when he started thinking of specific ways of engaging alumni of color in the St. Olaf community.
Bill Green
Green


"Being an alumnus myself, I was always conscious of how alumni of color were active in St. Olaf. When I was in admissions at St. Olaf, I would involve alumni of color in recruiting students," Green says. "When I came to multicultural affairs in 1995, I was always engaging in activities that would involve alumni of color, such as our annual banquets and ethnic celebrations."

Green and Berrio met to discuss ways to involve communities on and off campus in reaching out to alumni of color. They spoke with members of the offices of admissions, development and alumni and parent relations, and later, during the 2005 Celebration Weekend, with alumni of color, students and other interested alumni.

From these dialogues, several goals involving alumni, students, faculty and staff have emerged -- providing direction for MCAN. The initiatives include appointing a faculty representative to the MCAN committee, creating a partnership with all multicultural faculty and establishing communication between alumni and students by developing an active Twin Cites chapter of alumni who participate in student events. A website, which will include information on MCAN events and alumni contacts, also is under construction.

Berrio says the initiatives have been enthusiastically received and supported by the college, although she also notes that MCAN isn't something entirely new at St. Olaf.

"The college has always been doing things like this -- reaching out to diverse cultures," she says. "From its roots as a provider of education to those who couldn't get it elsewhere, St. Olaf's mission has been about reaching out." Berrio cites examples, ranging from St. Olaf's admission of women at the time of its founding to the establishment of the Office of Community Life and Diversity in 2000, to illustrate St. Olaf's continual focus on inclusivity.

"Inclusivity has always been part of the tradition, even though we've never bragged about it," Berrio says. "That's part of the humble, Norwegian, Midwestern attitude."

ALUMNI PARTICIPATION
As plans for MCAN's initiation (which include assembling a board, enacting strategies and a kick-off reception during Celebration Weekend, Saturday, May 26, at 3 p.m. in the MACO office) move forward, Green works to expand the network base and engage alumni of color around the country. "Ideally, we would have chapters in all states that coordinate efforts with the St. Olaf alumni office," he says. Last November he traveled to California, where he met with 10 alumni of color at the home of Vanessa Trice Peter '93, and he frequently meets with alumni in the Twin Cities-area whom he says have been "very energetic about the program."
Joy Quaidoo '97
Joy Quaidoo '97


One such alumna is Joy Quaidoo '97, who currently serves as the interim chair of MCAN. A member of the St. Olaf Alumni Board since 2005, she sees her involvement with MCAN as an opportunity to reconnect past students of color to the college.

"I wanted to see a program specifically aimed at existing alumni, while also creating something unique and distinct," Quaidoo says. "Now it's materializing."

Quaidoo's interest in engaging multicultural alumni developed while she was still in college and active with Harambee, the umbrella group for multicultural student organizations at St. Olaf. Since graduation, she has remained involved with MACO's outreach to students and alumni, and was considered to be an excellent alumni liaison for MCAN.

Now Quaidoo, who also is director of community relations at Big Brothers Big Sisters in the Twin Cities, networks with alumni, listening to their stories and concerns, asking them if they would be interested in "returning to the fold" to build a welcoming campus community for students of color.

All alumni interested in becoming involved with MCAN should contact the Multicultural and Community Outreach Office at multicultural@stolaf.edu or 507-786-3060.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.